1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an artificial anterior tooth, a set of artificial teeth, and a denture.
2. Description of the Related Art
In natural teeth, anterior teeth have the function of biting off the food, and molar teeth have a function of crushing and grinding the food. When the anterior teeth are occluded in intercuspal position (the molar teeth being in clenching status), the maxillary teeth are positioned to the labial side by 2 to 3 mm from the mandibular teeth, so that both teeth do not conflict with each other. When biting off the food by the anterior teeth, the lower jaw is shifted forward to bite so that the cutting edge of the maxillary anterior teeth and the cutting edge of the mandibular anterior teeth may abut on each other.
Conventionally, the artificial teeth are manufactured with the purpose of reproducing the functions of the natural teeth, but when arranged on the denture, it is hard to obtain a sufficient masticatory function that is the same as in natural teeth. It has been therefore attempted to provide the artificial teeth with a masticatory function not available in the natural teeth, so that the comprehensive masticatory capacity may be equivalent to that of the natural teeth as closely as possible.
For example, JP-A-07-67890 discloses an invention in which a platform of a horizontal plane is formed about 3 mm above the cutting edge at the lingual side of the maxillary incisors, and with the molar teeth being occluded in the intercuspal position, the cutting edge of the mandibular incisors are abutted on this platform, so that the function of biting off food is added. According to this invention, when biting and grinding food by occluding the molar teeth, the food can be cut off by the anterior teeth. However, when grinding food by the molar teeth, it is preferred to provide the anterior teeth with the grinding function, rather than the biting function.